ORLANDO, Fla. – Mustad and Kevin VanDam celebrated 25 years fishing together last week at the 2017 ICAST trade show. The milestone stands out as one of the longest and most-beneficial relationships in fishing.
Long-time Mustad National Sales Manager Steve Tagami said “One name truly represents bass angling excellence, and it’s actually an acronym – KVD. Kevin VanDam transcends bass fishing and is known world-wide for his expertise and success. Everyone at Mustad is proud of our 25-year history together and are excited to celebrate this great milestone. Kevin’s input and insight have shaped so many Mustad products that it is difficult to imagine where we would be without him. We’re proud to look back on a tremendous past quarter-century, and can’t wait to see what the next 25 years working together will bring.”
Some of VanDam’s accomplishments:
- Four-time Bassmaster Classic champion
- Seven-time Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year
- 23 Bassmaster victories
- 2002 FLW Angler of the Year
- Two-time Major League Fishing Cup Champion
- All-time tour winnings leader in bass fishing
- 2002 ESPY Award winner
Accepting the award VanDam said “It has been an honor to work with Mustad for essentially my entire career. To think about the improvements to hooks we’ve made together over the years really gets me excited about what we can do in the future too.“
Many of Mustad’s freshwater hooks bear the KVD name, including the KVD Elite Series Triple Grips. VanDam introduced those hooks to the world in 2009, and they were an integral part of three consecutive AOY Titles (2009-2011) and back to back Bassmaster Classic Championships (2010 & 2011). VanDam has utilized Mustad hooks in all his professional event victories since 1992.
VanDam was presented with a trophy by Mustad Vice President Magnus Gunnarsson while a video clip showing the 25-year relationship was shown on the tradeshow floor. The video is available on the company’s social media pages and YouTube channel.
